Category Archives: in and around the USA

It’s definitely (American) football season. I really have no interest but I join a pool every year so I can feign some kind of interest, allowing me to have a conversation with the boyfriend on football Sundays.

The pool I play in you just have to pick by the spread. With that said I use very scientific methods.

I make my picks each week based on the following. I vary between categories based on each of the week’s matchups.

For example:

1 – Who likes them?

I pick teams based on people I know who like them. With the exception of my hometown teams, teams that fall in that category are the Raiders, the Browns, the Seahawks, the Broncos, the Ravens and the Cowboys (the boyfriend’s favorite team).

2 – The Cowboys division

Then there are the teams in that division, so that’s just based on the spread and who is home. Though I usually root for the underdog. So there’s the Eagles, the Redskins and the Giants. I kind of just pick and choose. I know tons of people who like all of these teams so I don’t go on if someone likes them. While not in the division, I do include the Jets here because they are one of the hometown teams.

If the boyfriend gets annoyed at the Cowboys, like last season, I pay attention, because at the end of the day, I am looking to win the pool.

3 – My kind of town

I also pick other teams based on the city – and if I like it, or want to go there – teams that fall into this category are the Titans, the Chargers, the Bears, Arizona, the 49ers, Kansas City and Green Bay.

4 – Show your true colors

And then I pick teams based on their uniform because I like the colors for Carolina, the Vikings, Tampa Bay and the Seahawks also fall into this category.

5 – Where are you from?

If it really comes down to the wire, I will pick for location – people who are living there. While I don’t typically lean towards Atlanta or Miami, I know people living there, so they get picked once in a while.

6 – What’s the weather like?

If it’s snowing and the Bills are playing Miami – I am going with the Bills. If it’s 90 degrees in October, I am going with Miami. I’m picking for the climate they are used to playing in more consistently.

7 – Usually really good

The Saints, the Patriots, the Colts and Pittsburgh fall into this category. However, I hate Pittsburgh’s uniform so I try not to root for them much. Plus as a huge Ravens fan, my brother-in-law would kill me.

8 – Cute quarterbacks

Drew Brees, Matt Cassel and Eli Manning are a few.

I know I am missing a few teams and they just don’t really fall into any of these categories.

Just as Memorial Day is seen as the unofficial start of Summer, Labor Day is seen as the unofficial end of Summer. Big sad face. Summer is my favorite holiday and I feel like this summer flew, as usual.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor’s website, “Labor Day, the first Monday in September, is a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country.”

It’s a little odd considering the latest jobs report in the US is pretty dismal. I’m pretty sure that plenty of people would love to be ‘laboring.’

The Fourth of July is my favorite holiday. Hands down, the Fourth is the best holiday all year.

The Fourth falls smack in the middle of summertime. There are fireworks, it’s a long weekend, there are picnics with burgers, hot dogs, beers and music, lots of patriotism and quality time with friends and family…I mean, what’s not to love?

It’s the best. I’ve had so many fun Fourths! It has always been my favorite holiday and as a kid, it always happened to fall during our own family summer vacation, and oh so close to my birthday. I have to give my parents so much credit for always making our family Fourths fabulously fun – sorry, I am loving the alliteration.

Fun Family Fourths include:

Seeing the first Fourth of July parade in the nation, in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. Literally, the first since the parade starts at midnight!

I don’t like to talk politics but WHY are debates for the 2012 election starting now? Shouldn’t the length of campaigning (and the amount of funds spent on said campaign) be limited? The amount of resources and time spent on campaigning should be cut down. There are fifty states, some big, some small. Spend a few weeks in the big ones, a week in the smaller ones.

* After some Googling, I found out that those in US territories can nominate a candidate, but cannot vote. So you can campaign to get on a ticket in places like Guam, American Samoa, Puerto Rico and the USVI. But that’s where it ends. They cannot ultimately elect the president.

With all ways people can access media, it doesn’t need to be a 24/7 news cycle for 18 months. We get that you are running. We get that there are debates. We get that you need to make appearances. But all the politicians who are running already have a job to do and they should be concentrating on doing that one job well.

These two sexual attacks top global headlines. My local news has had more violent assaults to cover this week than any week in recent history. It seems like there’s no shortage of assholes.

These monsters decide they must have someone, and she’s there for the taking? Why do they think that they are above the law? Who the hell do these jackasses think they are? What makes them think they are entitled to a woman, any woman they want, whenever they want? If they are so needy for sex, find someone you can pay for it. Why do they feel the need to assault someone to get it? These animals decided to use their body as a weapon and because of that, I believe they should be castrated.

I apologize. I digress.

For the cases where there is a named attacker, why there is even a question of bail or jail absolutely amazes me.

It makes me ill that the judge is letting Strauss-Kahn wait out his trial in a multi-million dollar mansion. S-K made his bed, and instead he gets to lie on one in a $14 million USD mansion instead of in jail, like his fellow criminals.

The judge presiding over S-K’s case had a chance to make an example that would echo around the city, and possibly the world, yet failed miserably.

I’ve heard from reputable sources in law enforcement that there is a food chain in jail and those who are sent in on a charge of sexual assault, are at the bottom, just above child molesters. Had S-K spent significant time there, he could have gotten (some of) his due.

I have to believe that the judge was afraid that S-K would be prey for criminals higher in the food chain. Even so, why should S-K be excused from jail? What entitles him to bail? His (former, and disgraced) title? His wealth? PUH-LEASE.

Now, yet another judge will have the opportunity to make an example out of another (alleged) sex offender. Will he collect bail, or send a criminal to jail? The question if Omar will be given the same opportunity as S-K waits to be answered.

Why is this fair to the crime survivors? Shouldn’t the survivor of S-K’s attack be able to get some relief knowing that the animal who attacked her is behind bars? The only bar he might be behind is a cocktail bar in that mansion. By chance, and no fault of her own, she was violently attacked and violated by a wealthy douchebag who thinks he is above the law, and on top of that, gets out of jail on bail. She doesn’t even get to bask in the satisfaction knowing that her attacker is getting his due while biding his time in jail.

I believe that all monsters should be treated the same, regardless of their (former) stature, their income and how much interest the media may or may not have. They all belong in Rikers. But for now, we’ll have to wait and see what the judge who will preside over Omar’s case decides where he will spend his time during his court dates.

We can only hope that judge number two makes the right decision and keeps criminals — alleged or not, wealthy or not, shamed (former) international superstars or not — where they belong, in jail, without bail.

Sadly, the US trails the rest of the world when it comes to handing out vacation days so when planning trips I have become an expert at maximizing my days like extending international trips during US holidays to get that extra bonus day, or really maximizing the long weekend.

Even so, every time it’s time to return home, I’m always the one begging the gate agent to bump me so I can squeeze out at least one extra day. As I’ve learned from gate agents in Frankfurt, Zagreb, Buenos Aires and San Jose, Costa Rica (I’m persistent, okay?), airlines don’t typically overbook international flights, since it’s one of their last moneymakers, so getting bumped is quite slim.

But…the gate agents always tell me I’ll be the first they will tell if a bump is possible. I remember landing in Frankfurt, en route to Newark, the gate agent and I became BFFs.

Gate agent: ‘I can pretty much guarantee 100% you will be on this flight.’

Me: ‘Can you guarantee a football team won’t show up and need my seat?’

Gate agent: ‘No. But your flight is scheduled to depart within the hour so it’s not likely.’